NO FP+ or PF at all

[hsmamato2]

...can it be done? will your trip be ruined? Well, my friend just returned last week.... she was visiting,stayed offsite with family,so 3 adults,5 kids....they had vouchers to get in (no tickets) and *NO FP at all*...... she said they had a grand time! I asked about lines, were they bigger than previous trips? She said she didn't notice anything out of the ordinary... they just went to the parks,and enjoyed themselves.
I was SO pleased to hear her say this..... I believe it was mid Feb, so bumping up against Presidents day weekend.... she said no problems ......
I know Disney well, but all these changes have me anxious....I want to RELAX on vacation.....I truly don't want to plan my every step 2 months in advance!
I guess having Fp+ could have its good side....but her story gives me heart that yes,I can wander in,old school style,and just enjoy my time without worrying about times/and schedules....

 

[rotlex]

Personally, I don't see the big deal. For us, yearly visitors, FP is not needed most days. Honestly, we travel in late August, and only use it for big ticket rides such as Soarin', TSM etc. We will use FP+ this year, and it might be nice to not do the morning run to the FP machine for those things.

Other than that, we plan on just doing what we always do. Enjoying the parks and doing the stand by lines when waits are under 30 minutes or so. Honestly, in the past, I've come back for our FP times and found the line no less than stand by anyway. Not really sure what the big deal is now other than people like to complain I guess.

Here's looking forward to a fantastic trip this August, FP, FP+ or not!

 

[5Hfan]

glad it worked well for them.

Not everyone can go in the lesser travelled weeks when the parks aren't at or near capacity, which makes fp+ strategies worth it.

 

[redrosesix]

FP+ isn't horrible but it also wasn't very helpful except for rides like Soarin. We don't like being tied into a schedule especially when a lot of the variables are outside of our control eg. buses, TS meals.

We stuck to our old way of doing things mostly -- go early, stay late, usually with a break to swim in the afternoon. That worked for us just like it always has. Bummer that some of the SB lines are now longer, but it is what it is. The parks were busy, and at times so crowded we wanted to leave anyways.

We did less days at WDW and added 3 days at US, 2 days to SW -- it made the trip a lot better.

 

[redrosesix]

...can it be done? will your trip be ruined? Well, my friend just returned last week.... she was visiting,stayed offsite with family,so 3 adults,5 kids....they had vouchers to get in (no tickets) and *NO FP at all*...... she said they had a grand time! I asked about lines, were they bigger than previous trips? She said she didn't notice anything out of the ordinary... they just went to the parks,and enjoyed themselves.
I was SO pleased to hear her say this..... I believe it was mid Feb, so bumping up against Presidents day weekend.... she said no problems ......
I know Disney well, but all these changes have me anxious....I want to RELAX on vacation.....I truly don't want to plan my every step 2 months in advance!
I guess having Fp+ could have its good side....but her story gives me heart that yes,I can wander in,old school style,and just enjoy my time without worrying about times/and schedules....

sorry to burst your bubble, but the week before Pres wknd and the week after are like night and day. We were there for both.

But still good advice.

 

[5Hfan]

FP+ isn't horrible but it also wasn't very helpful except for rides like Soarin. We don't like being tied into a schedule especially when a lot of the variables are outside of our control eg. buses, TS meals.

We stuck to our old way of doing things mostly -- go early, stay late, usually with a break to swim in the afternoon. That worked for us just like it always has. Bummer that some of the SB lines are now longer, but it is what it is. The parks were busy, and at times so crowded we wanted to leave anyways.

We did less days at WDW and added 3 days at US, 2 days to SW -- it made the trip a lot better.

thanks for your report too, seems like the best option for now...

 

[hsmamato2]

they were there that weekend into Monday I believe, she mentioned the room rates doubled for part of her stay....so I'm going with her firsthand TR.... I do realize at super busy times,things change- my friend has visited about a million times,and didn't feel anything stressful this past trip,so just sharing....